Means for perforating to safeguard checks and for other purposes.



PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

E. A. BARNES. MEANS FOR PERFORATING TO SAPEGUARD CHECKS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES..,

APPLI OATION FILED NOV. 12, 1906.

fig 5 ooboooooooooooooo 000 000 0000000 OLOOO QOO 00000000000 ooooooooooooooo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST ALFRED BARNES, OF STAWELL, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

MEANS FOR PERFORATING TO SAFEGUARD CHECKS AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed November 12,1906. Serial No. 343,108.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, Farmer ALFRED BARNES, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, 620., residing at Stawell, in the State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Perforating to Safeguard Checks and for other Purposes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inven tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide devices for safeguarding checks, scrip, and the like against fraudulent alteration and for other punching and perforating generally. In some devices for that purpose it is necessary to specially print the check form or other blank. Hence such devices are not applicable to blanks already in the possession of the persons who will fill them in. Objection has been taken to other devices in that they are complicated, vary the shape of the document objectionably, involve much time or expense, or are liable to confuse. My invention avoids these difficulties and can be applied by any person to any ordinary check forms or blanks (as scrip) he may have on hand. It is less expensive than numberpunches and less productive of mistakes.

In applying my invention to checks the .user does not vary the wording he writes from what he would write ordinarily, nor does he write in any position different to what is usual, nor is it possible for confusion to arise by reason of what he may add as a safeguard. The check or scrip form will often be partly prepared with my perforator before it is filled in; but it may be wholly perforated after filling. Where the safeguarding is partly made before filling, it consists of two longitudinal waved or straight lines of perforations, having just about sufficient space between to permit of insertion of figures or words. After such insertion additional lines of perforations transverse (say oblique or at right angles) to the longitudinal ones are made. These side lines of perforations will not weaken the paper unduly; but they complete the setting of a guard all round each word, figure, or group thereof which it is desired to protect, and thus render fraudulent alteration exceedingly diflicult. At the same time this allows for variations of handwritings, no one being called upon to make his figures or words begin or end to fit between any particular side lines.

It is practicable in some cases to place all perforations in the document first and afterward insert matter in the inclosed spaces so produced. This is a good way when a large number of checks have to be written all on one model. Then the perforations put on the model after the proper spacing had been determined would be repeatable in the other cases. As there is no embossing neededby my invention, the paper is left smooth and the perforated form could be passed through a type-writing or printing machine, if desired. Written figures and words are not made indistinct by using my punch or perforatingtool. Supposing a check is written for 9916-15-0 there would be immediately above and immediately below these figures a waved or straight line of perforations. Immediately on the left and to the right side of the 16 there would be a vertical or oblique line of perforations, to the right of the 5 a similar line, and one,if desired, to the right of the 0. It would then be impossible to raise the 16 to 160 inside the perforated area allowed for the 16. There is no punch known to me capable of doing what I describe other than mine.

In some cases I employ for greater security divisional perforated lines between individual words. Thus if the words Seven hundred pounds appeared each word of that expression would be inclosed in a rectangle, a parallelogram, or the like of perforations. For perforating I use a punch having rows of punching-pins set specially. The pins may be adj ustable; but an instrument is preferred that cannot get out of adjustment, all its perforating-pins being fixed, different patterns of perforating-line suiting different users. The perforations are not equidistant in all cases. Some are wider apart than others, as this weakens the paper less and has other advantages. Sharescrip on plainsmooth paper is usually filled with numbers and words, and this invention is applicable thereto.

In the drawings herewith, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a punch suitable for my purpose; Fig. 2, a plan of part of the perforating-jaw, and Fig. 3 a transverse vertical section through the jaws. Fig. 4 shows in side elevation a punch of cheaper and for some purposes more desirable construction. Fig. 5 is a plan view, Fig. 6 a side elevation, and Fig. 7 a transverse view, partly in vertical section, through the jaws of a form of punch also distinguished by the position of the perforation means. Fig. 8 shows part of an unfilled check with preliminary perforations, and Fig. 9 the same part filled and with the com letion of. the perforations.

T e punch may have handles, as as and 'y, or a hinge, as r, or any other suitable end (with spring means to keep the jaws normally open)for example, like the bow of a pair of hand sheep-shears. The jaws a b of the punch have either parallel motion, as in Figs. 1 to 3, or otherwise, as in the remaining figures, the latter being practicable, owing to the fact that the material to be perforated has only slight thickness. One (as upper) jaw a may have slits c and (i one above the other, dividing the jaw into parts f, g, and h, and the other jaw, as I), perforating pins 6 in two parallel rows. Some of these pins 41 are adapted to punch, in addition, when required, a short line of perforations and are of greater length than the rest.

If two long arallel and comparatively close horizontal lines of perforations are needed in one or more parts of the paper, as at t, Fig. 8, the paper or material sis put into slit 0. All the pins will when the jaws are closed cross that slit and enter die-holes by which part g is pierced; but the long pins i will go further and cross slit d, so that if these, which will produce a short line of perforations, are to be utilized the paper or material is inserted into slit d. The part h is shown with die-holes on both sides; but that is optional. In the present case those on one side only are utilized.

Part f is not essential, but is a useful pinguiding member, adapted also to shroud and protect the pin ends from inj ury when the jaws are 0 en and to remove any fragments of materia that may tend to adhere to the pins after punching.

Considerable depth of slits c d is provided to enable material 8 to be perforated at a considerable distance from the margin, as is needed when perforating checks, and even more so in the case of some scrip. The slit for material has an inner enlarged space, as j, in some cases to allow of the paper or material being curled or folded therein, so that parts of it specially distant from its margin may be punched easily. In Fig. 4, which has no shrouding to protect the pins and has but one member perforated for the pins to enter, the inner enlarged space or recess j is formed by bending over and inward a jaw, either or both jaws being thus recessible but when it is desired to make only long pins i perforate a suitable stop is set, such as k, which is shown drawn back, so that the surfaces m and n are free to meet, allowing all the pins to enter the opposite jaw; but by pushing one end 1 of slide 7c so that the other end is upon the surface n the opposite surface m producible or a long double line at will.

the opposite jaw and act as perforations.

Hence a single short line of perforations is In Figs. 5 to 7 the positioning of the jaw ends a b transversely to their length facili- 1 tates the reaching of parts of papers or material remote from the edge. Pins e are shown on aws b I). To get two long lines of parallel perforations, the paper is inserted at c, and to get one short line of perforations at d between jaw b, which has pins i, (see Fig. 7,) and a spring-arm 0, which has to correspond holes h, while jaw a has holes 9 to receive pins 6. Recesses c d are normally kept open, 20 showing a spring with fixed ends 9. Some features in one figure of the drawings maybe applied to otherfigures. For example, perforated spring-arm 0 can be added to a tool like that of Fig. 4, the pins of which in a double row will then be of equal length, or recesses 3" could be provided by modifying Fig. 6.

In the form shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 the jaws a and d are arranged with some little space between them to receive the excess of paper or other material operated upon. This space is larger toward the pivot end, as clearly shown in Fig. 6.

In Figs. 8, 9 two long lines of horizontal perforations t are made simultaneously by one closing of the punch-j aw; but each single cross-line of perforations u o w is by a separate closing.

It will be observed that the pins in Fig. 4 are of progressively-increased lengths, the shortest pin being the nearest to the pivot of the jaws. This arrangement enables the punching to be satisfactorily done while adhering to a simple construction.

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is 4 1. A ortable perforator, comprising a pair of pivotally-supported jaws, one of said jaws being provided with pins of varying length, and the other of said jaws being provided with perforations adapted to register with said pins, said jaws being so arranged in relation to each other as to leave a space to receive the excess of paper or other material operated upon, substantially as described.

2. A portable perforator, comprising a pair of pivoted handles, one of said handles being provided with pins of varying length, and the otherof said handles being provided with perforations adapted to register with said pins, and one of said handles being provided with a cut-away portion to receive the excess of paper or other material operated upon, substantially as described.

3. Ahand perforator, comprising two handles pivoted together, one of said handles being provided with pins of varying lengths, and the other of said handles being provided with perforations adapted to register with said pins, and one of said handles being provided with a cut-away portion to receive the excess of material operated upon, and a spring for normally holding said handles apart, substantially as described.

4. A portable perforator, comprising two handles pivoted together, one of said handles being provided with two sets of teeth of varying lengths, and the other with perforations with which said pins are adapted to register, and one of said handles being provided with a cut-away portion to receive the excess of paper or other material operated upon, a spring normally holding said handles apart, and a movable slide whereby one or both of said sets of pins may be operated at the wish of the operator as desired, substantially as described.

5. A hand-perforator, comprising two handles pivoted together, one of said handles being provided with two sets of ins of different lengths and with a recesse portion, and the other of said handles being provided with perforations adapted to register with said pins, an adjustable slide mounted on one of said handles, a projection adapted to strike said slide after the latter has been moved into a certain position, and a spring for normally holding said handles apart, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

. ERNEST ALFRED BARNES. 

